Shillong, Feb 10: The Jaintia National Council (JNC) has alleged a conspiracy behind the dynamite blast in Mynsngat-Thangkso, East Jaintia Hills
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, the JNC president, Sambormi Lyngdoh, wanted the terms of reference to include the angle of illegal immigrants beyond the illegal coal mining issue.
With the Bangladesh situation, many migrants have entered the state, and there are adverse comments against the North East by the Bangladesh authorities; hence, the deaths need to be probed, looking into all these angles. Quoting a coal labourer, the JNC president said that there were five affected mines, but two mines were empty.
“A worker from the incident site stated that, fortunately, on the day of the explosion involving five coal mines, two nearby mines were not operational, and if those two mines were operational, the magnitude of the tragedy would have been more”,. he said.
“We express our deep sorrow over the tragic incident that occurred in Mynsngat-Thangsko, which resulted in the loss of precious lives. In this unfortunate incident, we lost both residents of our district as well as non-tribals”, Lyngdoh said.
Extending condolences to the families of the deceased, Lyngdoh said the tragedy cannot be treated as a simple accident.”
“Public voices suggest that most of the workers in Mynsngat-Thangsko are Muslims from Bangladesh. Minor accidents often occur in coal mines due to unscientific methods of mining, but this incident is the worst of its kind and has never happened before in the history of coal mining in the East Jaintia Hills district”, he said
The council also pointed out that Bangladeshi nationals have been threatening the peace of the North East from time to time.
“Therefore, the JNC demands that the inquiry should not be limited only to illegal coal mining, but should also include the issue of illegal entry of Bangladeshis into the East Jaintia Hills District”, he added.
The group wanted the government to take strict action against illegal foreigners residing in the district, ‘as we do ot want our land to become a source of livelihood for illegal settlers’.
“We also request the police to arrest those involved, especially those who are responsible for bringing workers illegally from Bangladesh. As an organization, we warn those who put the future of our coming generations at risk for their own personal gains”, he said.
Small-scale scientific coal mining
The organisation said the Centre and the state should go for small-scale scientific coal mining in Meghalaya, as at present, scientific mining is permitted only for those who own 100 hectares or more of land.
“Very few people own land of such large size, and this is the main reason that forces many locals to engage in illegal mining activities.
The JNC appealed to the Prime Minister and Union Ministers that if they are concerned about the tragedy, they should allow small-scale scientific mining in Meghalaya.
“This will help eliminate illegal mining activities and will benefit both the people and the government as a whole. Illegal mining negatively affects the revenue and budget of both the government and the Autonomous District Councils”, Lyngdoh added.
